David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty to Reflecting Pool Felony as $14.7 Million Revamp Stays Fenced Off
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 11
David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty to Reflecting Pool Felony as $14.7 Million Revamp Stays Fenced Off
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jul 11
Summary
Thursday’s not-guilty plea by Olympic canoeist David Hearn intensified scrutiny of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case, with supporters outside court accusing the Trump administration of politicizing a property-destruction charge.
Prosecutors say Hearn removed pieces of blue coating from the refurbished pool, while his lawyers argue he is being criminalized for merely touching a peeled surface and warn the felony case overstates the alleged damage.
The pool itself remains closed behind fences as crews drain it, clear July 4 debris and inspect the site; visitors on Friday still found the water green despite the latest round of maintenance.
That repair cycle follows a refurbishment Trump promoted ahead of the 250th anniversary that quickly ran into peeling "American Flag Blue" coating and algae, with the cost swelling from $1.8 million to at least $14.7 million.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has defended the work and said the administration plans to keep the same contractor, even as the troubled pool joins other Trump-backed Washington beautification projects facing visible setbacks.